Year 2 – September Week 2: Summer Late Bloomers

Summer is ending and some of the veggies are still striving and finally taking off.

Tougan (Winter Melon)

Winter melon (female flower)

Winter melon (male flower)

Young winter melon

Young winter melon is covered with lots of torns. For longer storage life, it’s best to harvest a mature one when all torns are gone and skin is covered with whitish powder. Of course, it can be harvested while it’s still young, just make sure to wear gloves or those torns will definitely leave you in severe pain.

Luffa/Sponge Gourd (Hechima)

Luffa (male flower)

Luffa (female flower)

Luffa

Entire summer, luffa plant is mostly greenish without producing flowers until now. It seems about 10-day old luffa is good for cooking while mature ones can be used for making sponge. First batches of luffa has gotten big already and I’m planning to make sponges out of it.

Peanuts, Fig and Others

Peanut flowers are starting to go down into the ground

Our first fig plant is starting to produce figs, almost one fig a day.

Pomegranate flowers are starting to bloom

I see some flower buds on papaya tree and hoping it will still make it before the first frost

Moringa plant grown from seed is slowly growing. I might transfer it into a pot and will try to overwinter

Purple basil flower

Some pumpkin plants are coming back

Mini chinese cabbage seedlings on preparation

It’s nice to have these late bloomer summer veggies while transitioning to autumn/winter season.